Meant to Be: Poems

Winner of the 2025 Press 53 Award for Poetry, Meant to Be is a collection of wide-ranging and unexpected poems about maintaining your sanity while trying to hold down a job and provide for your family. Each poem is a search for wisdom and intelligence in the hum-drum moments of the day. Whether coaching a girls sixth grade basketball game, assembling a king-size bed in the shadow of his father-in-law's scowl, or enduring the vulgar heckles of high school students driving the neighborhood at night, the poet discovers minute yet worthwhile nuggets of joy. As poetry series editor Tom Lombardo said, "Most of these poems use easy humor, though never too blatant, never a chuckle. Just admiration and a smile."